April 2008

Dear Colleague

RE: Training materials to support child death review processes

The department has now made available a training resource to support Local Safeguarding Children Boards in implementing the Child Death Review Processes set out in chapter 7 of Working Together to Safeguard Children.

The training resource can be accessed at:

The resource consists of three programmes:

  • When a child dies: a 1 – 2 hour awareness raising programme which introduces participants to the Rapid Response to Unexpected Child Deaths and the Child Death Review processes
  • Responding to an unexpected child death: a 1 day training programme which provides participants with the basic skills to carry out an inter-agency investigation into an unexpected childhood death
  • Reviewing childhood deaths: a 1/2 day training programme which provides participants with the knowledge and skills needed to run an effective Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)

The materials include trainer guidance, training sessions, handouts and slides, presentations, and low resolution video clips.

Participants and facilitators may find some of the material contained in this training resource distressing. Due to the sensitive nature of the materials these have all be password protected. To access the materials please submit the following username and password:

Username:***************************

Password:***************************

We recommend that the training is delivered by teams of local facilitators so that they are able to support each other. We also recommend that facilitators familiarise themselves with information about local and national sources of support available both for themselves and for any participants who may be affected by the training content.

In addition, we have also issued data collection templates to assist Local Safeguarding Children Boards in recording information about each child’s death. These templates, alongside an update about the planned collection of information from LSCBs, and the transfer of information about child deathsfrom registrars to LSCBs once the Children and Young Persons Bill receives Royal Assent can be found on the Every Child Matters website.

Finally, as has been suggested in the training materials it would be most helpful ifall Local Safeguarding Children Boards used the same format for the email address for the person to whom all child death notifications and information is sent–for example: .

I hope you will find the training materials helpful. Updates on the child death reviewing processes will continue to be posted on the ECM website:

Best wishes


Jenny Gray

Professional Adviser

Children’s Safeguards Policy Unit, DCSF